Remember Corporal Jensen, the Chief of the Minnesota State Patrol Troopers Association, and the recent newsletter he sent out? The one where he compared a certain local tax watchdog group to the violent separatist group Posse Comitatus? A few of us noticed it at the time, and weren't all that pleased.
It seems the Taxpayers League of Minnesota wasn't all that pleased with it either. This morning, the League's lawyers sent this letter:
Dear Corporal Jensen:
The undersigned represents the Taxpayers League of Minnesota, a Minnesota non-profit corporation (the "League"), with respect to the article entitled "Blackmailed" in the Winter 2003-2005 issue of Minnesota Trooper ("Article") authored by yourself as President of the Minnesota State Patrol Trooper’s Association ("MSPTA").
On behalf of the League and its President, David Strom, the League strongly objects to the content and tone of the Article, particularly the implications that the League endorses or tacitly encourages violence against governmental authorities as a political solution. The Article inaccurately describes the League (by reference, although not by name) as a "radical anti-tax organization" which advocates some of the same principles as the Posse Comitatus (described in the Article as "viciously racist, anti-Semitic and anti-government".)
The League is a non-partisan public advocacy organization dedicated to educating the public about the effects of excessive taxation and promotes limiting the scope of government to those programs or services which are essential and within the proper scope of the government's limited powers enumerated within the United States Constitution. Your assertion that the Moreover, the League "uses money, threats and political blackmail to enforce its anti-tax, anti-government agenda" is factually false and misleading, with a tendency to unjustifiably damage the League's reputation.
Moreover, the Article's final paragraph, which unreasonably equivocates the League's officers, directors and/or employees with "a tax protestor in camouflage with an automatic rifle", might be wrongfully interpreted to encourage a violent response to the League's activities, as justifiable as law enforcement's heroic response to the "barrage of rifle fire" of the individuals identified at the beginning of your correspondence. Such equivocation is inflammatory, irresponsible and completely lacks any justification.
The implication that the League resorts to monetary bribery, extortion or blackmail is wholly and completely false. Moreover, the League has not advocated and does not advocate, promote, support or endorse any views or positions which are or might be deemed racist or anti-Semitic, and the League has not advocated and does not advocate, promote, support, endorse or encourage violent resistance to legitimate government tax collection efforts by killing government authorities, agents or law enforcement officers. The League operates peacefully within the public sphere to influence governmental public policy in a manner no different than any other responsible advocacy organization (such as the Minnesota State Patrol Trooper’s Association).
As such, the League is shocked and offended by the Article's accusations that the League’s peaceful public advocacy efforts are similar to, or a logical extension of, any organizations which promote baseless violent, racist and anti-Semitic positions or views. Accordingly, the League requests that you publish a retraction of such implications and personally issue a written apology on behalf of yourself and the MSPTA to both the League and the League's President David Strom for the Article's inflammatory implications and irresponsible accusations.
The League anticipates and appreciates your prompt response to the same and trusts that you and the MSPTA will refrain from any and all untrue, inaccurate and misleading assertions or accusations regarding the League and its activities and positions in the future. Please forward all correspondence regarding the League and this matter to our attention at the address set forth on the first page of this correspondence. Thank you.
I knew about this and didn't post on it. For that I apologize to my readers.
